DOVER — A panhandler who is well-known to the police was arrested Monday morning on charges of disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing after demanding money and rides from customers of the Shell gas station on Long Hill Road Saturday night.

According to Police Capt. William Breault, even though the store clerk, who knew Post from grade school, repeatedly told him to leave the premises, he continued to bother people inside the store and outside at the pumping stations. When she threatened to call the police, Post fled.

Breault said two arrest warrants for Post were issued on Saturday at 10:15 p.m., but police could not find him over the weekend. Breault said multiple officers were assigned to the area of Indian Brook Drive and Route 108 where Post is often seen panhandling, but their weekend search was unsuccessful.

On Monday morning at 10:45 a.m., Post turned himself in at the police station. Breault said Post was released on $750 personal recognizance bail. He is not to enter the Longhill Shell station.

He will be arraigned June 3 at Dover District Court.

Breault said no other panhandling arrests were made over the weekend. While people continue to hold signs and receive money on the medians in the location Post is often seen, Breault said the panhandlers on Saturday and Sunday did not violate any laws and acted appropriately.

“They weren't banging on cars,” Breault said.

Making physical contact with vehicles or stepping onto the main roadway are some of the many ways panhandlers can be arrested.

While panhandling is a constitutional right protected by the First Amendment, Dover, Somersworth and Concord are three of many municipalities, according to Police Chief Anthony Colarusso, who are looking into creating ordinances to prevent panhandling.

Just last week, Chad Thomas Heilmann, of 46 Belknap St., was charged with one violation count of soliciting business while panhandling. He was walking through traffic asking for money.

Somersworth Police Chief Dean Crombie said some of his police officers were going to attend a conference last week at the Local Government Center office hosted by the New Hampshire Municipal Lawyer's Association on panhandlers to learn more about the growing problem. The conference, however, was canceled.

Crombie said the City of Somersworth never had a panhandling problem until six to eight months ago and said another prevalent issue has been homeless people living in tents in wooded areas in Somersworth.

“We have taken a proactive approach, getting permission from land owners to have these folks removed,” Crombie said, adding that police are not able to remove them without being allowed on the property by the private landowners.

Crombie said when people step onto private property to solicit, such as Post at the Shell station, merchants need to call in a complaint.

He, along with Colarusso, said police can only become involved when panhandlers break the laws.

To prevent the growing panhandling problem now while communities work on possibly creating ordinances, Colarusso said drivers need to stop giving people money. If panhandlers are no longer receiving money, they will stop coming back.

Post was also arrested in March for criminal trespassing, disorderly conduct and jaywalking. He has a court date for the March charges on May 6.